​Olav Kooij, the 24-year-old Dutch rider competing in the Tour de France for the first time, sprinted to victory in stage five after a chaotic finale that followed a crash-filled conclusion. He outsprinted Germany’s Max Kanter, with Belgium’s Tim Merlier crossing the line in third place. Norway’s Torstein Traeen remained in the overall leader’s yellow jersey despite being caught in the pile-up about five kilometres from the finish of the 158.3-kilometre stage, which ran from Lannemezan to Pau. Traeen finished 14 seconds behind Kooij, a gap shared by reigning champion Tadej Pogacar and several other key general classification contenders, including two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel. In the group that sprinted for the podium were France’s teenage sensation Paul Seixas and Britain’s Tom Pidcock and Adam Yates.
Traeen still holds the race lead by 28 seconds over American Sean Quinn. Pogacar is in fourth place, seven minutes and 53 seconds off the leader’s time, with Vingegaard a similar margin behind. The day’s drama, however, was overshadowed by Kooij’s late charge for a breakthrough win, emerging as a late add to Decathlon CMA CGM after an illness hindered his early-season form.
“After a couple of hard days here already we’ve had to wait for this day to get this first chance to sprint in the Tour – and to immediately win is unbelievable,” Kooij said. “I think it means a lot just in general after a pretty tough spring to get back to this level, to keep believing in yourself and just a few people who believe in you as well is all you need. To be here with the support of the team today is all I could ask for. It was an easy day until the final. I just managed to find my way, find the right wheel and I just wanted to have the chance to win. I will enjoy this.”
Final stage results reflected Kooij’s victory at 3 hours, 29 minutes, and 7 seconds, with Kanter and Merlier also finishing in the same time. The rest of the top ten featured Huub Artz (4th), Jasper Philipsen (5th), Biniam Girmay (6th), Mads Pedersen (7th), Milan Fretin (8th), Anthony Turgis (9th), and Søren Wærenskjold (10th).
The general classification standings saw Traeen retain the yellow jersey, with Quinn second, 28 seconds behind. In the chasing pack, Mathias Vacek sits third, followed by Pogacar in fourth and Vingegaard in fifth, both seven minutes and 53 seconds behind the leader. Other notable riders in the top ten include Ramses de Bruyne in sixth, Remco Evenepoel in eighth, Isaac del Toro in eighth (tied in position places can vary by seconds in this summary), Juan Ayuso in ninth, and Paul Seixas rounding out the top ten.
The stage from Lannemezan to Pau delivered a dramatic finish, with a crash that reshaped the conclusions and ultimately set the scene for Kooij’s remarkable sprint victory. Kooij’s success marks a significant milestone in his Tour debut, demonstrating resilience after a challenging start to the season and underscoring the strength of his sprinting capabilities at the world’s most prestigious cycling event.